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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Chicago Alderman Margaret
4Laurino on her 25 years of dedicated and outstanding service to
5the people of the 39th Ward and the City of Chicago; and
 
6    WHEREAS, As a lifelong resident of the 39th Ward, Margaret
7Laurino graduated from St. Edward Elementary School and
8Alvernia High School in Chicago; she earned a bachelor's degree
9in education and a master's degree in history from Northeastern
10Illinois University; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The seeds of Margaret Laurino's passion for public
12service were sown at a young age as she witnessed her father,
13former Alderman Anthony Laurino, actively and tirelessly serve
14the citizens of the 39th Ward for over three decades; and
 
15    WHEREAS, An ardent supporter of addressing constituents'
16needs, Margaret Laurino started her career serving in the 39th
17Ward office and eventually became chief of staff; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Following the retirement of her father, former
19Mayor Richard M. Daley recognized Margaret Laurino's
20accomplishments and leadership capability and appointed her
21interim 39th Ward Alderman; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1995, Margaret Laurino offered to voters her
2own compelling vision for a thriving 39th Ward; that vision,
3coupled with her growing reputation as someone who was
4forward-thinking and driven to achieve positive results, won
5her the election and five elections thereafter; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Throughout her illustrious career, Margaret
7Laurino focused on addressing the needs integral to the quality
8of life, including good schools, educational opportunities for
9all, health and public safety, services for senior citizens,
10economic growth, capital and infrastructure improvements,
11constituent access to city services, and government
12transparency; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Margaret Laurino's many citywide initiatives
14included expanding high speed wireless Internet access to all
15city residents, banning texting while biking, mandating online
16ethics and sexual harassment training for city employees, video
17streaming Chicago City Council meetings, requiring detailed
18information about each of the city's tax increment finance
19districts to be posted on the city's website, advancing plans
20to make the city more accessible to and safer for pedestrians,
21convening a Food Desert Task Force to ensure that communities
22of color have access to healthy and nutritious foods, and
23creating the Aldermanic intern program, which provides college

 

 

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1students with a unique work experience and the opportunity to
2learn city government operations; and
 
3    WHEREAS, As a result of Margaret Laurino's leadership,
4numerous infrastructure and public safety improvements were
5accomplished; over 300 residential blocks, 100 alleys, and
6several major arterial streets were repaved or resurfaced; over
7$6 million in infrastructure improvements were made in Albany
8Park alone; $12 million was secured from the city's Rainblocker
9pilot program; a $70 million underground tunnel was constructed
10to relieve flooding in Albany Park, as well as a new $15
11million state-of-the-art 17th District police station; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Deeply committed to improving Chicago's Public
13Schools and providing educational resources to learners of all
14ages, Margaret Laurino championed increased public school
15funding, fought tirelessly for infrastructure improvements at
16area schools, including construction of the buildings for the
17Haugan Middle School and the Albany Park Multicultural Academy
18and new annexes at the Volta, Haugan, Sauganash, Hibbard, and
19Palmer Elementary Schools, and secured the funding for a new
20$15 million Albany Park library, which opened in 2014; and
 
21    WHEREAS, As co-founder of the Peterson-Pulaski Business
22and Industrial Council, Sauganash Chamber of Commerce, and
23Pulaski Elston Business Association, Margaret Laurino retained

 

 

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1jobs and attracted new employers to the 39th Ward; she
2regularly used the Small Business Improvement Fund to assist
3neighborhood businesses in becoming more prosperous; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Margaret Laurino partnered with the Heartland
5Alliance, Swedish Covenant Hospital, and Chicago Public
6Schools to open health centers at the Albany Park Multicultural
7Academy and at Roosevelt High School; she secured funding for
8the construction of a 97-unit apartment building for senior
9citizens in the Mayfair neighborhood and obtained funding for
10senior citizen home improvement grants; thanks to her efforts,
11North Park Village is now home to over 500 seniors; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In July 2013, having earned her reputation as an
13experienced, thoughtful, productive, and fair-minded leader,
14Margaret Laurino was chosen by her colleagues to serve as
15president pro tempore of the Chicago City Council; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Margaret Laurino has served with distinction on
17many Chicago City Council committees, including most recently
18as a member of the Committee on the Budget and Government
19Operations, Committee on Finance, and Committee on Workforce
20Development and Audit; she also has overseen the City Council
21Legislative Reference Bureau; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Margaret Laurino has consistently embodied and

 

 

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1modeled the highest standards of public service for her staff,
2colleagues, and constituents: authentic caring, hard work, an
3ability to forge partnerships for the greater good, a positive
4focus on the future, and, the capability for taking strategic
5actions that make a sustainable difference in achieving a
6better life for all of Chicago's citizens; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Over the years, Margaret Laurino earned the
8respect of her city council colleagues and city staff for her
9intelligence, her graciousness, and her good humor; in addition
10to her official duties, she and her team achieved near
11legendary status as the official party planners of the annual
12aldermanic holiday party, authoring such memorable scripts
13such as The Wizard, Bye, Bye Daley, It's a Wonderful Life, and
14Council Joys; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Being alderman of the 39th Ward was Margaret
16Laurino's dream job, and, without a shadow of a doubt, she
17clearly gave it her all; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20we commend Alderman Margaret Laurino on her many years of
21exceptional service to the people of Chicago and offer our best
22wishes for an enjoyable retirement and continued success in all
23of her future endeavors; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to Margaret Laurino as a symbol of our respect and
3esteem.